


Cassiopeia

by Tempestas_D_Uzu



Series: Starcrossed [2]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abandoning babies on doorsteps might be as welcomed as you think Athena, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Apollo Deserves More Love, Apollo angst, Apollo is the master of tragedies, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Children, Children of Characters, Collecting Children, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Dead Demigods, Demigod Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley Has a Magical Child, Dudley Dursley has a demigod child, Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Ghosts, God Harry Potter, Harry Potter Has a Saving People Thing, Harry Potter Leaves the Wizarding World, Harry's Home for Wayward Half-Bloods, Hermes is a bro, Hermione is stressed and stubborn, Immortal Boyfriends, Immortal Harry Potter, Immortality, Its Greek Gods, Kissing, Letters, M/M, Past Lovers, Past Relationship(s), Purposeful Baby Acquisition, Redeemed Dudley Dursley, Romance, Slash, Snapshots, Survivor Guilt, aftersex, apollo needs a hug, dead children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-02-06 20:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12825726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tempestas_D_Uzu/pseuds/Tempestas_D_Uzu
Summary: ((Aka "Harry's Home for Wayward Half-Bloods"))They orbit each other; growing closer and closer with ever turn. Apollo doesn't do love, not anymore, but maybe he can try one last time.(Or, Heroides and Apollo grow closer, and Harry finds himself collecting children)(Formerly called Pulsar)





	1. Periastron

**Periastron**  
**(When two stars that orbit each other are at their closest point.)**

 

_September 23, 2006_

"You're thinking about him~"

Apollo startled with a shriek, spinning to see a grinning Aphrodite leaning over the arm of his throne, her eyes a golden-flecked green, skin bronzed, and hair a curly mess of deep black.

"You think his eyes are beautiful, the most stunning shade of green, his hair the colour of the darkest shadows. His smile lights up the room, and you love it when he laughs. You love to watch the way his body moves, the lithe muscles glistening in your sunlight, his shimmering wings. You wonder what it would be like to-"

Apollo's face burned. "Not during the Council meeting!"

The goddess of love laughed, and for the first time Apollo took notice that the room was empty.

"The meeting ended, Apollo dearest, and your mind was elsewhere." Aphrodite tucked a lock of curly black hair behind her ear, an action similar to what Heroides had done on their first meeting, and she smirked. "And what delicious thoughts those were. You're in love, Handsome, or at least you're getting there."

Apollo frowned, "I don't do love, Aphrodite."

"You have in the past." Aphrodite pointed out.

"And we've seen how that worked out." Apollo shot back bitterly.

They had all ended badly.

Aphrodite looked at him, smile melting away. The two sat in silence for many moments, the goddess studying Apollo, and the god pointedly looking away from Aphrodite, until she finally spoke. "You're allowed to find happiness, Apollo. You're allowed to be in love."

Apollo didn't look at her, continuing to bore holes in the wall of the temple, and he heard Aphrodite sigh.

"Not everything ends in tragedy, Apollo."

And then she was gone, leaving the sun god alone with his thoughts and the weight of his past.

 

000000

 

_September 23, 2006_

Heroides, in his human form, stared at the woman in front of him, then glanced at the two dozing twins on her lap, no older than six, they had the same dirty blonde hair as their mother, their faces round and cherubic as they slept peacefully.

"Luna..."

Luna smiled, expression tranquil. "Thank you for coming, Harry."

Heroides turned his eyes back to the two children. "Luna, you are aware that-"

"My children are demigods?" Luna asked calmly, smiling faintly. "Yes, I am. Harry, I'd like you to meet Lorcan Orpheus and Lysander Perseus Lovegood, sons of Hypnos."

Heroides groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Luna, pretty soon monsters are going to start coming after them..."

The blonde's eyes saddened, "They already have. Twin demigods, who also happen to be directly descended from two other gods? The monsters have already caught their scent and have begun hunting them." Her silver-blue eyes trailed down to her sons, "I can no longer keep them safe."

Heroides could see the pain in his friend's eyes as she bit her lip, "How old are they?"

"...Five." Luna murmured, "I met him while in Greece, Harry. I knew immediately who he was. He was very kind to me, he loved hearing about my creatures, he told me that there would always be chance that they existed. If they were old enough for Hogwarts, they would be protected there, but they're not, and I don't want to risk their safety because I was selfish."

"Oh, Luna..." Heroides sighed, "I can look after them, if you want."

Luna's lip wobbled, and she nodded her head. "At least until Hogwarts. And I'll come visit..."

The young god smiled kindly, moving to kneel in front of the former Ravenclaw, and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll protect them."

"...Thank you, Harry."

He dipped his head, and backed away a few steps to watch Luna shake to two children awake. And soon he found two pairs of awed silver-blue eyes staring up at him, and It was only with his godly vision that Heroides could tell which child was which. Lorcan had more silver than blue in his eyes, whereas Lysander's were more blue.

"Lore, Dore, this is Harry, your cousin." Luna explained gently, "You're going to be staying with him for a while."

Lysander blinked in sleepy confusion, but Lorcan's eyes sharped.

"Because of the monsters?" Lorcan asked quietly, and Luna nodded.

"Harry will look after you, protect you, and teach you how to protect yourselves." Luna told them, "I'll come visit, and you can come visit me, don't worry, and it's only until Hogwarts."

Lorcan nodded solemnly, gripping his brother's hand tightly. "Don't worry, Mama, I'll look after Dore."

Lysander frowned, "I don't need you to look after me!" He whined. "I'll look after you!"

Luna smiled, and kissed both boys on the cheek. "Look after each other. I love you both so much. Mama's very proud of you."

Lysander beamed, "Don't worry, Mama! We'll learn a bunch, and then we'll protect you!"

Luna giggled, then shooed the twins off to collect their things.

"They don't have many muggle things." Luna said quietly, and Heroides chuckled slightly.

"I have plenty of money Luna, I'll buy them what they need." Heroides assured her, "They're very mature for their age. Little Ravens in the making." He noted.

Luna grinned, "They are." And then she sobered, "There was another reason why I asked you to come. It's about Hermione."

Heroides winced; he hadn't talked to Hermione in years, after the War had ended, his childhood friend had wanted him to use his fame to further her goals in the Ministry, but Heroides had had no wish to spend any more time in Wizarding Britain, he hadn't wanted his (very much hated) fame to be used to manipulate politics. Hermione hadn't liked that, and add in the fact he had had no plan to get back together with Ginny, or go back to Hogwarts to redo his last year, or even join Ron in becoming a dark wizard hunter, he had all but cut all his major ties to the Wizarding World.

"What about her?"

"She went to study in America for a few years, she just came back, with a baby." Luna said quietly.

Heroides' brows furrowed, "I hadn't thought her the type?"

Luna snorted slightly, "The baby came with a note, saying her name was Sappho Elizabeth Granger. Hermione said it was ridiculous because she hadn't slept with anyone, much less with someone from America, and that she would have remembered giving birth. She told me the closest she had to any kind of relationship was her having a study buddy." Her sharp silvery eyes snapped to Harry, "A woman named after the Greek goddess of wisdom."

Heroides groaned. "Athena..."

Luna nodded. "I tried to tell her about demigods, and gods and goddesses, but she didn't believe me."

He sighed, running a hand through his mortal form's short hair. "Of course she didn't. "

"She doesn't know what to do. Little Sappho's barely a year old, and Hermione has been getting into a lot of arguments with Ron, he thinks she cheated on him, and she's insistent that she didn't. They're supposed to get married in a few months."

Heroides frowned in thought, "I'll send her a letter, and try to organize a meeting with her and Sappho."

Luna smiled in relief. "Thank you, Harry."

The young god chuckled tiredly, and placed a gently kiss on his pseudo-sister forehead. "Anything for you, Luna-Love."

Luna giggled and wrapped him in a hug.

It was in that moment Lorcan and Lysander rushed in the room, hand-sewn stuffed creatures under their arms, and full bags on their backs, and the twins lunged forward to wrap their arms around their mother.

"We'll miss you." They murmured in sync, and Heroides stepped way to allow the small family their goodbyes in private.

 

000000

 

_September 24, 2006_

Heroides stepped out of the shadows and into his New York penthouse, a twin Lovegood under each arm.

The two sons of Hypnos looked around in awe, and Heroides didn't blame them for it. The main room was huge, the amber walls that were basically nothing but windows, the floors a warm oak. There was an open kitchen with a bar, and comfortable couches and armchairs in white and red nestled around a fireplace, a pair of sliding glass doors led to a large balcony. Heroides was secretly glad that his penthouse flat had two guestrooms, the boys could share if they wanted, or have separate rooms, and as a god, Heroides could permanently transfigure them some furniture.

(And if things went the way Luna thought they would, Heroides would probably have to go ask his grandmother for a spell to extend the hall and add more bedrooms.)

"Okay you two, your rooms are down the left hall, by the dining table." Heroides pointed to said table, a glass table with a white frame surrounded by red chairs. "There's a bathroom there as well. My room is down the hall by the couches." He smiled and ruffled their hair, "Do you two want to share a room, or have your own?"

The blonde haired twins looked up at him with wide eyes, then glanced at each other. Lorcan tightened his grip on Lysander's hand.

"Can we share for now?" Lysander asked quietly, and Lorcan nodded.

Heroides nodded, "Of course, give me a moment to transfigure the room a bit, and we'll be all set. We'll go out and buy you clothes tomorrow."

The twins nodded.

"Any preferences for colours?"

"Blue and bronze!" The twins chirped in harmony, and Heroides laughed.

It took a few moments and a few more hand waves to change the room around. The queen-sized bed was changed to bunk beds, the top with bronze sheets and blue pillows, and the bottom bunk with blue sheets and bronze pillows. The oak wardrobe was copied, and, in a moment of inspiration, Heroides changed the walls into an image of a forest, and the ceiling into a cloudless night sky, and the formerly white floor carpet into grassy green.

The young god stepped back with a satisfied nod and waved the two boys over.

 

000000

 

_September 24, 2006_

The boys were finally asleep, Lysander on the top bunk, and Lorcan on the bottom, both hugging their stuffed snorkaks to their chests. Heroides stepped out of the room with a huff, leaving the door open just a crack to let in light from the bathroom, and moved back to the main room, intent to start writing a letter to Hermione.

Instead, he found a familiar pale-haired figure stretched across his favourite couch.

"Uncle," Heroides greeted in surprise.

Hypnos looked up, meeting his nephew's green eyes with his own pale blue. "Nephew." The god of sleep greeted, running a hand through his platinum blonde hair as he glanced from Heroides, and back towards the hallway that the young god had just come from. "How are they?"

Heroides chuckled quietly, moving around to flop onto a white armchair. "Sleeping."

Hypnos snorted, cracking a sleepy smile. "Of course."

The younger god smiled back, "They're very intelligent, and they love talking about creatures and things they see in their dreams."

Hypnos' smile softened into something fond, and he pulled two bronze bracelets out of the pocket of his designer pajamas. He fiddled with them for a moment, before tossing them over to his brother's son, who caught them easily. "Those are for the boys. They're charmed so only they can take them off. Luna chose them."

Heroides laughed, "She's always been the best at thinking ahead."

Hypnos didn't answer, instead he stared at the ceiling. "...I want to regret falling for her... I put her, and our sons in so much danger... But I can't."

And with that, he was gone, leaving behind a faint scent of chamomile tea.

Heroides looked down at the two bracelets, and he smiled, before standing up.

He had had a letter to write.

 

0000000

 

_September 25, 2006_

Hermione Granger felt like pulling her hair out as she shifted through the pile of paperwork in front of her, trying desperately to ignore the quiet sniffling of the baby that was slowly but surely ruining everything she had been working for. Going to America to study law was supposed to be something to help her relax after the War, and yeah, up until the last few months it had been great; she had made and good friend in the black haired gray eyed librarian named after Athena, Hermione had really enjoyed debating with the slightly older woman, and talking about historical figures they admired.

But thinking but that brought Hermione's mind back to the baby, and with a sigh, the brown haired witch pushed herself away from her desk to move to the bassinet little Sappho Elizabeth Granger rested in.

Sappho and Elizabeth, two names of people Hermione had talked about with Athena. Sappho, one of the first known female writers from circa 570 BCE, and Elizabeth, after Queen Elizabeth I.

It had to be a coincidence.

Besides, Granger was a common enough last name.

Hermione had been shocked to find the brown-haired, gray eyed baby in front of her rented apartment room, and had originally considered taking the abandoned baby to the nearest orphanage. But she had looked at little Sappho, and thought about Harry.

Maybe it was displaced guilt over her ruined friendship with the last Potter, but she couldn't bring herself to think of abandoning the child after that. And so she returned to England with a law degree and a baby girl.

Everything went downhill from there.

Ron had been furious; her fiancée had immediately jumped to the conclusion that Hermione had cheated on him while in America, and no matter how much Hermione tried to tell him that Sappho wasn't her daughter, that Hermione had never had sex before, much less having given birth. But Ron had taken one look at the frizzy brown hair of the baby, and he had been convinced of Hermione's infidelity.

After loosing her parents, loosing Harry's friendship, and all the losses in the War, Hermione didn't want to loose Ron and the Weasleys too, all because somebody didn't want their daughter.

And now she was steadily loosing her job as well. The Ministry had taken one look at the rumours about Sappho, about the illegitimate daughter of a muggleborn, who was 'lucky' enough to be marrying a Pureblooded war hero, that had probably been sired by a muggle. And no matter how much Hermione tried to tell them that Sappho had been left on her doorstep, they had their proof in Ron's cold shoulder and furious glares.

Hermione numbly placed the now-fed and dozing baby back Into her bassinet and padded back to her desk, then she let out a strangled shriek, for perched on her desk was a raven, watching her with intelligent black eyes, with a letter tied around it's leg.

It cawed in response, and shifted forward to hold its letter-bound leg out for her.

With shaky hands, Hermione untied the letter and unrolled it.

Her eyes widened.

"Harry?"


	2. Bolide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be up earlier, but my Internet has been going in and out for the last two weeks, so sorry for the wait :3

 

**Bolide**   
**(A brilliant meteor, which may explode during its descent through the Earth's atmosphere.)**

 

 

_November 2, 2006_

Heroides sat calmly, sipping the tea Hermione had given him as he watched the young woman who had once been the girl he had saved from a troll all those years ago. Hermione looked exhausted, her face pale with deep bags under her dull brown eyes, her hair escaping the bun she had put it in in corkscrew curls. Then his eyes flicked down to the 9 month old infant sleeping in the bassinet by the old mismatched couches they sat on.

"So this is Sappho." He mused, studying the curls of chocolate brown that surrounded the baby's pale face and rosy cheeks. "Luna told me about her. She looks a lot like you."

Hermione shook, "She's not my daughter!" The brown-haired woman hissed bitterly, and Heroides raised a brow in response, taking another sip of the tea.

"How much do you know about Greek mythology, Hermione?" Heroides asked.

Hermione let out a sarcastic bark of laughter, "Oh not this again! I heard enough of It from Luna!"

Heroides sighed, "Luna was telling the truth, Hermione."

"No, she wasn't! Gods don't _exist_ , Harry!" Hermione insisted, "They were just something people made up to explain what they couldn't understand!"

"That's what people say about magic." Heroides pointed out, only to get a glare from Hermione.

"But magic is _real_! We have _proof_ of that!"

Heroides pinched the bridge of his nose, " _Listen_ to me, Hermione. The gods and goddesses are real, and so are demigods. Your daughter is a demigod, and I know you didn't give birth to her, you didn't have to. Luna told me that you met a woman named Athena,"

"You can't possibly mean-"

"That was the real Athena, Hermione." Heroides continued, ignoring Hermione's outburst. "Athena is is a virgin goddess, but she had other ways of having children. She can conceive children by joining her mind to another's. Your daughter is literally a 'brain child'."

Hermione's face was pale, and her breaths were coming in panicked gasps. "I-I _can't_... I can't do _this_!"

Heroides watched his former friend with suddenly cold eyes, "If you want to be part of your daughter's life, you're going to have to."

"I didn't want this!" Hermione cried, "I don't want any of this! I want to have a steady job in the Ministry! I want to marry Ron, and maybe someday give birth to his children! And she's ruining all of it!"

Heroides put his teacup down with a clatter, eyes angry. "Is that truly what you want, Hermione?"

The young woman threw her hands into the air, "Yes! I want her gone!"

The son of Thanatos' face hardened, "Fine, Hermione. I'll take her with me and you won't ever hear from us again." He stood, marching over to the bassinet to find intelligent and aware gray eyes watching him, and Heroides reached forward, brushing a gentle hand against the baby's soft cheek, before gathering the silent Sappho into his arms. He turned to meet Hermione's eyes once more, and she looked torn, and for a moment, Heroides thought she would say something, but instead her eyes hardened and her face closed off.

" _Good_."

Heroides stared at the woman who had once been his friend for a few moments longer, before sighing. "If you ever change your mind, Luna knows how to reach me."

And with that, he turned on his heel and marched into the shadows, vanishing into nothing, and leaving Hermione alone, her face buried in her hands and shoulders shaking with sobs.

 

000000

 

_November 2, 2006_

Lorcan and Lysander were definitely surprised when Heroides arrived with a baby in his arms; the twins were where he had left them a few hours ago, seated in front of the television watching cartoons in awe, Winky the house elf watching them, little Debby, her daughter had inherited her looks and Dobby's energy, learning to make grilled cheese and chips for the young demigods.

"Honey, I'm home!" Heroides called as he stepped out of the shadows, Sappho nestled protectively in his arms.

"Uncle Harry!" The twins cheered, jumping down from the couch to race over to him, throwing their arms around the god's knees.

"Who's that?" Lysander asked, and Lorcan tilted his head to the side, both studying the baby, who studied them right back.

"This is Sappho," Heroides told them, crouching down so that the young boys could get a better view of the brown-haired baby girl. "She'll be staying here from now on."

The two blond boys stared, unblinking at Sappho, who let out a squeaky sneezed in return.

"She sounds like a sorkak." Lysander pointed out, and Lorcan snickered.

Heroides rolled his eyes fondly, and stood. "Well, we need to go get baby supplies... I probably should've thought that through." He muttered

Then Debby popped over, "Master Harry Sir!" The young house elf squeaked, bouncing excitedly. "Lady Gray Eyes bes giving baby supplies for Missy Little Gray Eyes!"

Heroides arched his eyebrow in eyebrow in amusement; Athena, huh? And considering she hadn't given Debby her name, she was going incognito to drop off baby things for him and Sappho. "Where did she put them?"

"Lady Gray Eyes bes putting thems in the nursery!"

"We don't have a nursery." Heroides muttered under his breath, and Lorcan snorted.

Debby beamed, "Mistress Hecate bes making it! With magic, Master Harry Sir!"

The young god snorted, "Alright, let's see the nursery, Lore, Dore, you two stay here and eat your lunch. We have lessons soon."

"Alright, Uncle Harry."

"Okay, Uncle Harry!"

Heroides followed his youngest house elf down the hall towards his bedroom, Sappho still in his arms, and wasn't too surprised to find it magically extended, with a brand new door next to his room.

Opening the door, he studied the new room; the walls were a soft silver bordered by Athenian blue, the floor was a fluffy gray carpet. Against the right wall, was a sturdy white crib with blue sheets, a stuffed snowy owl, and a gray mobile with little owls on it. Against the opposite wall was a fully stocked white changing table, and a white and gray dresser with a pair of baby monitors and a small binder on top, with a blue box next to it. The floor to ceiling windows were charmed unbreakable like every window in his flat, and there was a collapsed playpen and a folded stroller in the corner by the door. And to finish the room off, was an empty white bookshelf.

"Nice." Heroides admitted, putting a quiet Sappho into her new crib, who immediately rolled over to the stuffed owl with a happy coo, while the god moved to the dresser, absently noting the blue baby bath under the changing table, and opened the drawers. The first drawer was split between socks and onsies, the next was lined with pajamas and the one underneath it was bottoms and short-sleeved shirts, and the final drawer was filled with sweaters and long-sleeved tops. The box next to the dresser held winter gear.

Athena really had planned ahead.

He grabbed the binder next, flipping through it to find a year's worth of coupons for various baby stores. As he studied the coupons, a small folded piece of paper caught his attention, and he opened it.

_'Thank you,_

_The binder refills._

_A'_

Heroides chuckled, and slipped the note back into the binder. "Looks like mother is looking out for you, Saf." He told the baby, who was amusing herself with studying the stuffed owl that was amusingly as big as she was.

Sappho cooed happily, nibbling on the owl's tail.

 

000000

 

_November 10, 2006_

When the three children were asleep and Winky and Debby sent back to Andromeda's home to help the old woman with Teddy, Heroides sat in the living room, nestled comfortably on his couch and absently flipping through TV channels.

He was watching America's Got Talent when there was a quiet knock on his door, and Heroides stood, a little confused, but he moved to the door anyways.

Green met blue, and Heroides moved aside to let the other in.

"Lord Apollo," He greeted as the blonde god slipped past him, a sunny smile on his face.

"Heroides! Nice place you got here!" Apollo glanced around, "Could use a bit more gold though."

Heroides chuckled, "No thanks, that's your thing. Do you want anything to eat? Drink?"

Apollo waved his hand, and made himself comfortable on the red couch. "Naw, I ate before I came.

With a small smile, Heroides perched on the arm of the couch as Apollo stretched out. The blonde tilted his head back to meet Heroides' smile with one of his own, and for the faintest moment, the dark haired god was tempted to lean over and kiss him, but he quickly shoved the thought aside.

"The weather tomorrow is supposed to be great." Apollo started, blue eyes shifting away from Heroides' to stare out the windows at the night sky. "You should take your ducklings out to the park down the street in the morning."

Heroides lifted a brow, but the sun god shifted his eyes back to the younger's face, and Heroides could see the pleading gleam in Apollo's expression. "Sounds like a good idea, Lord Apollo." The dark haired god agreed.

"Just call me Apollo."

Heroides blinked, before smiling softly, " _Apollo_." He said quietly and met Apollo's gaze once more. "I can do that"

He got a bright smile in return and Apollo sat up, shifting so he was facing the young god. He hand lashed out and Heroides squeaked as he was pulled onto the blonde's lap, chest-to-chest. Apollo snaked his arms around the smaller god's waist, and Heroides could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest when Apollo placed his forehead against the junction of his neck.

Heroides licked his lips nervously as golden hair swayed with every breath he took. "Apollo?"

"Can I just stay like this a little longer?" Apollo asked, voice barely more than a weak whisper.

The dark haired god allowed his body to relax, and rested his cheek against the sun god's soft hair. He wrapped his arms around Apollo's shoulders.

"Alright."


	3. Aurora

**Aurora**   
**(Beautiful lights seen over the polar regions which are caused when energized particles from the sun react with the Earth's magnetic field.)**

 

_November 11, 2006_

Evan Skylar, fourteen year old runaway supreme, pressed himself further against the cold plastic of the slide, nervously fingerings the bronze bracers around his wrists when the footsteps got closer.

Was it another monster?

The blonde teen hoped not, he honestly didn't think he'd survive another attack. After running away from home three months before, he had been jumped by monsters so many times he had lost count; when his mother, Aubrey Holt (nee Skylar), died, Evan couldn't bring himself to stay around with his stepfather, Jake, and half-siblings, Ryan and Tim. His mother, a beautiful red-headed woman with blue eyes, had told him about his father on her deathbed.

Apparently, his father was a _god_! An honest to goodness god, his mother had insisted, and for a moment, Evan's ADHD mind had wondered if death was messing with his mother's mind, but she hadn't let up, instead, she had given him the bracers he now wore, apparently a gift from his father. They were bronze, with little carved suns on them, and could turn into a bow and a quiver of arrows. Evan had gotten plenty of practise with the bow in the last couple of months, and he would use it again if he had too.

The injured boy's hands shook slightly as he summoned his bow, the familiar weight of the quiver settled against his back.

A head of dirty blonde hair popped into the mouth of the slide, and Evan met the silver-blue eyes of a little boy.

"Oh, hello!" The kid chirped, smiling up at him, not at all bothered by the bow held protectively in Evan's grip. "I'm Lysander! Who're you?"

Evan let his bow drop slightly. "Evan." He murmured, staring at the boy with suspicious blue eyes.

Lysander's eyes widened when he got a better look at Evan's chest, and the teen winced in sympathy for the kid. Evan knew his chest looked like it had been mauled by a wild animal (which, in a way, it had), and his ratty hood was covered in dry blood.

"You're hurt!" The blonde kid cried, "Don't worry! I'll go get my Uncle Harry! He'll help you!"

Evan stiffened, "Wait- don't!"

But the kid had already rushed off, and Evan forced himself to move. He couldn't be taken back to Jake, he refused to put his family in danger. The only thing he was good for was attracting murderous monsters that wouldn't care if his half-brothers were five and three, or that his stepfather didn't know anything about monsters or gods.

Evan staggered as soon as he was out of the slide, preparing to run, but Lysander was back, an identical boy trotting beside him, and a black haired man pushing a stroller following behind him.

"Evan, _wait_! I brought Uncle Harry!"

Evan froze, wide blue eyes meeting the man's green, and he blurted put the first thing that came to mind.

"Don't make me go back!"

 

000000

 

_November 11, 2006_

It had taken a lot of talking to get Evan to agree to come with them back to Heroides' flat to get his injuries looked at, and to rest up. As he had been looking at the boy's wounds, Heroides had explained more about Greek gods and demigods, about the history, the training, the monsters, and Camp.

The young blonde had seemed very interested in the mention of Camp Half-Blood, and about how monsters and gods could smell his heritage, which was how they kept finding him. Heroides had promised to take him to camp as soon as he was fully healed, and was back to a safe weight.

Evan was asleep in the guest room for now, and if Heroides was right, the blonde-haired, blue eyed teenager was a son of Apollo. Heroides had given Evan some of his clothes (which Heroides had shrunk a few sizes to fit the teen), and puttered about, a baby monitor hanging from his waist, cookies in the oven, and dirty clothing in his arms for Winky and Debby to clean.

There was a knock on his door, and Heroides dumped the clothes in the dirty laundry basket, where they immediately vanished, and moved to answer the door.

"Apollo," He greeted easily, meeting the sun god's blue eyes and letting him into the flat. "I'm making cookies."

"I came at the right time!" Apollo smiled, "How are the ducklings?"

Heroides laughed, leading the blonde god to the bar. "Sleeping. I managed to collect another this morning. You were right, the weather was lovely."

Apollo's grin widened as he sat on a red cushioned barstool. "I bet."

Heroides moved towards the oven, pulling out the first sheet, and sliding the second in. "Evan's mother died four months ago." He said slowly, "I looked into it - breast cancer, they didn't catch it in time because she didn't have to money to go to the doctor."

Apollo's shoulders drooped, smile tightening, and Heroides passed him a cookie.

"She told him about how his father was a god, and gave him the weapons his father left for him. And that was when the monsters started appearing." Heroides used a spatula to move the baked treats from the tray and into a Tupperware container. "He didn't want to put his stepfather and half-brothers in danger, so he ran."

The sun god nodded sadly, "I was never in love with Aubrey, but I do care for all my past lovers, and I love my children." He grabbed another cookie. "I... the the stupid law that won't let us interact with our children... Evan would have died if he stayed on the streets any longer."

Heroides nodded, "I know. He did too. He didn't know much about Camp Half-Blood, he knew it was a camp, but didn't know where. I'll take him as soon as he's healed."

Apollo smiled, "Thank you, Heroides."

The younger god laughed, "You don't have to thank me, Apollo."

"I do, though." Apollo insisted, "There wouldn't have been any time to send a satyr to him, and add in the fact he was constantly on the move..."

Heroides shot the older god a small smile, "Apollo-"

Apollo met his eyes, expression earnest. " _Thank you_ , Heroides."

The winged god (currently lacking the wings in his human form) ran a hand through his dark hair, not noticing Apollo's gaze following the movement.

"Can I try something?" Apollo asked suddenly, and Heroides looked back at him.

"Hmm? Sure."

And then a tanned hand clamped around his wrist, spinning the shorter god around, another hand moved to rest on his cheek, tilting his head back, and kissing him so deeply Heroides was sure that if had still been mortal he would have drowned from the intensity. Apollo's hand moved from his wrist to slide down to Heroides' waist, the other sliding into his hair.

And then it was over, Apollo's lips pulled away from his, but only by a few centimeters, long golden eyelashes fluttering as he opened his blue eyes to meet Heroides' stunned green ones.

They stood for a moment, locked together by Apollo's strong arms, Heroides' was too shocked to even blush.

"You - you're very good at that." Heroides breathed softly, hands twitching, either to push him away or pull him closer, Heroides wasn't sure.

"Was that okay?" Apollo asked, grinning slightly, like the cat who got the canary, but there was a small waver to his tone.

Heroides shook himself from his shock, blinking quickly, before smirking. Lightning fast, his hands grabbed the sun god's face and pulled him into a second, fiercer kiss.

"Was that a good enough answer?" The dark-haired son of Thanatos asked mischievously when he broke the kiss.

Apollo laughed.

"Anyways, let me go, I don't want the cookies to burn."

 

000000

 

_December 1, 2006_

The following weeks passed by with quiet kisses and loving affection, but a small part of Heroides brought darker thoughts. Apollo was a known playboy, he had never had a serious relationship in the thousands of years he had been alive; Heroides, on the other hand, had never quite gotten over his childhood abuses, and longed for something permanent to call his own. He didn't know if Apollo would be willing to give that, and to be honest, that scared Heroides. He didn't want to force Apollo to change who he was, but at the same time, he needed to know if he was just another fling, or if maybe they were a little more serious.

"Harry? I'm ready."

Heroides shook himself from his thoughts as Evan spoke; the teen looked healthier, witha reasonable weight and tidier hair. Heroides had gone and bought the blonde teenager new clothes, and he was wearing a pair of them now (black jeans, a light blue sweater under a warm jacket, and yellow converse, all charmed to be comfortable and warm, with a few protective runes stitched in) with his bag (charmed bottomless - only had to think of what you wanted and the bag would move it to the top) holding more.

Heroides shot Evan a small smile, "Got everything you need?"

The teenager nodded.

Heroides looked back to where Lorcan and Lysander were doing their writing with Debby supervising, and Sappho crawling around in her playpen, dragging her owl with her under Winky's sharp eyes. "I'll be back soon!" He called, and the twins looked up.

"Bye Uncle Harry! Bye Evan!" Lysander waved.

Lorcan nodded in agreement, "Write us, Evan. We want to hear about Camp!"

"Bah!" Sappho cooed,

Evan chuckled, "I will."

Heroides smiled at the interaction, and held his hand out for Evan to take. "I called ahead, Chiron will meet us at the pine tree."

Evan nodded, stepping forward to grip the dark-haired god's hand, looking a little woozy. "I _really_ hate shadow travel." The teen grumbled, and Heroides snorted.

"Sorry, Blondie. This is the fastest way."

Evan muttered a few choice words under his breath, and then they were melting through the shadows.

Moments later, Heroides stepped out of the shadow cast by the large pine tree on Half-Blood Hill, dragging a slightly green Evan along with him.

"Lord Heroides." Chiron greeted in amusement, and Heroides shot the centaur a cheeky grin.

"Chiron! You don't look a day older than when I last saw you!"

"We're both immortal." Chiron pointed out dryly, then his eyes landed on Evan. "And this is the boy you called me about?"

"Yup, Chiron, meet Evan Skylar. Evan, this is Chiron."

"The immortal trainer." Evan nodded in greeting, "It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well." Chiron smiled, "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Evan beamed.

Heroides ruffled the teen's blonde hair fondly. "Well, I've got to be going." Blue eyes snapped up to him, and Heroides gave the boy a soft smile. "You'll always have have a place in my home, if you need it, Evan."

Evan stared up at him, tears swimming in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, before he threw his arms around the slightly taller male. "Thank you, Harry. For everything."

Heroides returned the hug. "Just remember to write, kiddo. We all want to hear from you."

Evan snorted into Heroides' shoulder, "Harry's House for Half-Bloods." He joked, and Heroides chuckled.

"Harry's House for Half-Bloods." He agreed. "And you'll always have a room with your name on it."

The two parted, and Heroides ruffled Evan's hair once more.

"I can promise you tonight'll be interesting for you."

Evan blinked, "What d'you mean?"

Heroides just cackled and jogged away.

"Oi! Harry! What did that mean?! Harry you asshole, stop ignoring me!"

The young god melted into the shadows, Evan's shriek of rage following him.

(He was right though, because that night at dinner there was a golden lyre hanging over Evan's head.)


	4. Nebula

**Nebula**   
**(Bright nebulas are great clouds of glowing gas, lit up by stars inside or nearby. Dark nebulas are not lit up and are visible only because they block the light of stars behind them.)**

 

_January 22, 2007_

Heroides had been teaching Sappho words when Hermes appeared in his flat with a summons to Olympus, startling the baby into tears; which led to two panicking gods, a pair of amused, if drowsy, twins, and Winky's heavy scolding before they were able to leave.

They reappeared in front of the doors leading to the Council, and with a small sigh Heroides shifted back into his godly form, flexing his wings to rid them of the cramps left over from being in his human form for too long.

"For the record, I'm innocent." Heroides said easily, and Hermes snorted.

"What did you do?" The messenger god asked playfully, baby blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

Heroides schooled his features. "I don't know, what do they _think_ I did?" The younger god teased. He honestly liked Hermes in the times they had interacted, he was probably one of his favourite Olympians, and one of the most easy going.

The two shared a laugh, before Hermes patted him on the shoulder with a "Good luck, Kid!", and led him through the doors.

Heroides glanced around, taking in the sight of the Olympians, and momentarily meeting Apollo's surprised eyes, before moving to kneel in front of Zeus, who was studying with with electric blue eyes and a scowl.

"Lord Zeus."

"Stand." Zeus ordered, "As King of Olympus, it is my duty to assign gods and goddess the domains that best suit their abilities. And it has been many centuries since this responsibility was last enacted."

Heroides blinked. _Shit_ , he had forgotten that he was the youngest god in existence at the moment.

"You have been training under Hades, Thanatos, and Hecate for many years, and they believe you are ready to receive your domain." Zeus leaned forward, still looking as regal as he had before. "Draw your weapon, Heroides, son of Thanatos."

The young god licked his lips, before slowly extending his hand, (here was to hoping that he didn't need to fight an Olympian to be given a domain), and summoning his weapon. The thin shape of the Elder Wand materialized in his hand in a blaze of Hellfire, the black flames licking his skin, but never doing harm. For a moment, there was silence, and then Heroides rotated his wrist, and the shape of the Elder Wand shifted shape, growing longer as it also formed a blade.

And then it was done, and Heroides stood in the center of of Council, holding a deadly scythe taller than he was. With a blade made of Stygian Iron, and a shaft of hardened elder wood in enforced with Celestial Bronze, Umbra was the Elder Wand's true form, and it also wasn't its only form. Heroides couldn't fight the small smile that lifted the corner of his lips when the Thestral tail core hummed in greeting.

"An impressive weapon," Zeus admitted. "Who crafted it?"

Heroides tilted his head slightly as he thought of how to answer. "It's a little difficult to say who was the one to create Umbra. My father, with the help of Hecate, created the sealed form... But it's Umbra that decides what form it wants to take, and when. But the scythe is its favourite. So in a way, Umbra forged itself."

As if to prove the point Heroides had been trying to make, Umbra decided to change its shape once more, into a short sword, than back into a scythe.

Zeus raised a thick brow, shot a warning look to both Hephestus and Ares, who both looked ready to make a grab for it, one to study it and the other to use it, but didn't say anything. Instead, the King of Olympus held out his own hand for the weapon.

Heroides hesitated for only a moment, warning Umbra against any of its usual defensive attacks, as he doubted Zeus would be pleased if he ended up thrown into a wall by a temperamental weapon, before setting the scythe in Zeus' waiting hand, where it immediately shifted back into the Elder Wand, then changed to a sword.

"Kneel."

Heroides obeyed, dropping to one knee and dipping his head respectfully as Zeus stood, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

"Heroides, from this moment forth, I declare you; god of magic, god of ghosts, and god of magical death."

The flat of Umbra's blade connected with his shoulder, and Heroides could feel the magic rushing into his body.

The world went black

 

000000

 

_January 22, 2007_

Apollo was there before Heroides unconscious body hit the floor.

The sun god had been surprised when his father had summoned the Council, and that said summons had turned out to be giving Heroides his domains. It had been so long since the last god was given their domains, that Apollo had nearly forgotten what happened at the end - the new god or goddess loosing consciousness (and it was nearly impossible for Apollo to forget things, he was the god of knowledge). Of course, Apollo also couldn't use his healing abilities to ease the process, instead Heroides would be sleeping off the sudden influx of power.

"Take him to your temple until he wakes, Apollo." Zeus ordered.

Apollo carefully adjusted Heroides' body to avoid any damage to his wings, watching as Umbra, Heroides' weapon, vanished from Zeus' hands in a small puff of shadows. The sun god placed one of the youngest god's arms around his shoulder and gently lifted him.

"Dismissed."

With a small dip of his head to his father, Apollo vanished from the Council room and reappeared in his own temple in a flash of golden light.

He gently put the sleeping god on the bed, shuffling him so he lay on his stomach, before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He reached forward to card his fingers through Heroides' soft black curls and trace the young god's high cheekbones.

It was two hours later that Heroides awoke, leaving Apollo alone with his thoughts while he watched the beautiful man rest.

He truly did love him, Apollo realized. Heroides was not just a fling or a short-term thing, he cared too much about him for it to be that, but it also brought to mind the last person Apollo had fallen in love with as deeply as he had with Heroides.

Hyakinthos, the beautiful Prince of Lakedaimonia with pale blonde hair and paler green eyes. The man Apollo had killed with his affections, and the man that Zephyr killed out of jealousy of his relationship with Apollo. In some ways, Heroides reminded him so much of Hyakinthos, they had the same inner fire, a similar temperament, but they were also very different. Heroides was softer, with a little more sadness in his eyes compared to the sheltered Prince Hyakinthos, who had been more confident in his abilities.

Apollo sighed, leaving over to press a gentle kiss on Heroides' cheek. He couldn't bring himself to fight it anymore, he found himself wanting to love him, to show Heroides that he was worth everything in the world to him. Was it selfish of him to put Heroides in danger by falling in love with him? The Greeks never had happy endings, after all, and Apollo was no stranger to grief and the loss of someone he loved. So many lovers who had manipulated the affection he had given them, so many dead, either by their own hands, or by someone else's. If he wasn't such good friends with Aphrodite, he would've thought she had cursed him.

Heroides stirred, thick lashes brushing against his flushed cheeks, and gold-green were revealed, and for a moment Apollo could see silvery symbols reflected in the younger god's eyes; a circle within a triangle, which was bisected by a single line, and then it was gone.

"'Pollo?" The newly named god of ghosts, magic, and magical death slurred sleepily.

Apollo chuckled, running his fingers through the other god's dark hair. "Good morning, Beautiful."

"You're the beautiful one..." Heroides hummed, still very drowsy. "Pretty and gold... Love you..." He murmured, barely loud enough for even Apollo's godly hearing to pick up.

The blonde god paused, and Heroides fell into a more natural sleep. Apollo couldn't stop the goofy smile from spreading across his face. "I love you too, my song."

 

000000

 

February 11, 2007

"Happy birthday, Sappho!"

Heroides chuckled as he watched the newly-turned year old baby girl watch her older pseudo-brothers as the sang 'Happy Birthday', her intelligent gray eyes looking almost affronted at their tuneless rendition. He moved around the boys to place the blue owl-shaped cake on the table.

"Owl!" Sappho gasped happily, pointing at her cake, then pointing to her sweater, which was styled after an owl as well. "Matching!"

"You are, aren't you, Saf?"

The brown-haired baby girl nodded, hair bouncing; a year old and already with chin length, corkscrew curls, which Heroides had actually managed to wrangle into pigtails (now he knew why Hermione had never bothered trying to tie her hair back - it was more of a natural disaster than Heroides' was. At least his hair had been tamed with length). "Yes!"

With a smile, Heroides sliced a small piece out of the cake for the birthday girl, and placed it in front of her on her highchair.

"Thanks, Da!"

He pressed a kiss to his adopted daughter's forehead, "Happy birthday, Owlet."

Sappho beamed.

"Me next for cake!" Lysander called, waving his hand in the air, and Heroides rolled his eyes fondly.

For a son of Hypnos, Lysander had a lot of energy, whereas on the other hand, Lorcan had already dozed off, his twins exclamation, however, jolted him awake.

Heroides laughed, and cut two more pieces, sliding them over to the blonde twins.

"Thanks Uncle Harry!"

"Thank you, Uncle Harry."

The god of magic ruffled their dirty blonde hair, getting a beam from Lysander and a sleepy glower from Lorcan (both were very adorable).

"Special delivery!"

Heroides turned, grinning at Hermes, who had telephoned into the mainroom and was standing in front of the door to the deck. "Afternoon, Hermes. Want any cake?"

Hermes' blue eyes landed on the cake, and the messenger god licked his lips. "Gods _yes_."

The younger god chuckled, and cut off an extra large portion for the Olympian. "Trade you?" He held the plate out for him.

Hermes grinned, slipping him two envelopes and taking the slice. "Orders from down below, and a message from Nike." The curly haired god told him, "Sign here."

Heroides signed.

Hermes sighed in bliss as he lifted his fork and took a bite. He was moving to take another, when Martha spoke up.

" _Hera on line one, Boss._ "

Hermes groaned, cursing in Ancient Greek under his breath, and Heroides snorted.

"Just take the piece with you." The younger god offered, "You can't ignore that call."

Hermes sighed, "Thanks for the cake, Kid."

Heroides smiled, "Thanks for the messages. Next time you come by, I'll make sure to have rats and cookies ready for you."

The messenger god shot him a thumbs up as he excepted the call and vanished into thin air once more. Heroides shook his head fondly, and flipped through the letters. The one from Nike was about a child she had with an English exchange student in 2000, asking him to check in on the girl.

Then he opened the letter from Hades.

 _Oh?_ This would be _interesting_.

Heroides smirked and folded the letters into his pocket.

Looks like he was heading to Scotland.


	5. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late, my school work was bogging me down and I had to put my stories off to the side to work on it.

**Twilight**   
**(The time after sunset or before sunrise when the sky is not fully dark)**

 

_February 15, 2007_

Once upon a time Hogwarts, with its large stone walls, moving staircases, portraits, and suits of armour had been Harry's home, but now, looking at it for the first time since 1998, Heroides felt nothing. It wasn't home anymore, it was just the place that offered him refuge from abusive relatives and yet still insisted on sending him back every summer.

But at the same time, it was also the place where he had made friends, a place that connected him to his mortal mother and father (both of whom had chosen to be reincarnated after Heroides had been reunited with them for the last time as James and Lily), and the place where he did have many fond memories.

Heroides stepped out from the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, he had been able to transport himself right into the wards (they may have been old and powerful, but they were nothing compared to a god), but hadn't immediately shadow traveled into the castle. May it was nostalgia that had made the young god choose to get a good look at it before going in, maybe it was simply hesitation, Heroides didn't know, but a heartbeat later the winged god was in the Entrance Hall.

It had barely changed since his days as a student, it had been repaired flawlessly after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the only visible sign that there had been a large-scale battle fought at the ancient school was an plaque dedicated to all the people who were killed by Death Eaters. Heroides studied it for a moment, surrounded by the silence, and his eyes lingered on three names.

Fred Weasley

Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin

Remus Lupin

Heroides dragged himself away from the plaque, reminding himself that the three of them were happy in Elysium with Sirius, awaiting their loved ones, and moved on; extending his aura, an action that would bring his targets to him.

He had a job to do, afterall.

And come they did, in a food of silvery shapes.

The ghosts of Hogwarts, Heroides could see plenty familiar faces; the House ghosts, the Headless Haunt, Professor Binns, Moaning Myrtle, Peeves, and even some new faces in Lavender Brown and Collin Creevey. All who died with powerful regrets, and yet could not move on because the wards trapped and bound them, it was Heroides' job to send them to the Underworld.

(His father couldn't do it, for they were already dead and Thanatos had no powers over ghosts unless they were already in the Underworld. Melinoe may be the goddess of ghosts, but her powers were too weak after centuries of too little believers, and she would Fade if she ever left her father's relm. Hades may have been Lord of the Dead, but he was also the Lord of the Underworld, he couldn't leave for such a small group of ghosts when he had a kingdom to run. Which left it to Heroides.)

"You have finally come." The Bloody Baron, or Baron Terence Cholmondeley as he had been known in life (probably headed for a short stint in Punishment for the whole murder thing before going anywhere else), rasped, "They finally sent someone to help us."

Heroides nodded silently, shoving his hood from his head and stretching out his wings. "I am Heroides, god of ghosts, magic, and magical death." His two former housemates stared at him in shock, obviously recognizing the man who they had known as Harry Potter, and it wouldn't be too hard to connect Heroides to Harry if one really looked. His skin may have been a few tones darker than it had been as a mortal, his eyes a little more gold, and hair longer, not to mention the freaking wings, but he still looked a lot like Harry Potter. "I'm here to send you on."

Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, either fated for rebirth (if she played her cards right) or more likely Asphodel, dipped into a bow. "Thank you, my lord."

The other ghosts echoed her thanks, while Peeves, born Pierre Noir, a son of Nemesis who had begun haunting Hogwarts in revenge against Salazar Slytherin after the son of Hades had accidentally killed him in a duel, began kicking up a fuss, unwilling to give up on his revenge against the long-dead Founder.

Heroides banished him first.

 

000000

 

_February 16, 2007_

The small apartment Nike had asked him to visit didn't seem like much on the outside, and Heroides couldn't sense any monsters nearby. He could however, sense the young demigod within, alongside a dying soul.

Heroides raised his fist and rapped on the door, and a small girl with auburn hair who, if his math was right, was six years old, answered, staring up at him with big amber eyes.

The young god offered her a small smile, "Hello there, is your father in?"

Nike's daughter nodded, "Yes, but he's not feeling very well today."

"Well, I'm Harry, what's your name?"

"Colette." Amber eyes studied him briefly, before brightening. "Are you Harry Potter?"

Heroides blinked down at the redhead, a little bemused. "Depends on who's asking."

Colette beamed, "My daddy told me about you! You're his cousin!"

 _Cousin_?

"Cole, love, who's at the door?" A hauntingly familiar voice called, and a bald man stumbled into view.

Watery blue eyes met Heroides' in shock.

The dying man standing in front of him was Dudley Dursley.

"... _Harry_?"

Heroides blinked, "Dudley."

Dudley sucked in a wheezing breath, looking shaken. "Cole, honey, don't you have homework to do?" He asked his daughter.

Colette pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I don't wanna!" The demigoddess whined, and Dudley glanced at her.

"How are you going to win if you don't do your homework?" The girl's eyes widened before she raced off into the apartment, and Dudley turned to his cousin. "Come in, Harry."

His cousin led him to the dining table, letting the god sit down before moving off to make tea.

"You're looking good, Harry." Dudley said as the kettle boiled. "It's been awhile, what brings you here?"

"Your daughter actually." Heroides admitted, studying his cousin.

Dudley looked like shit; his face was pale, and he was all but skin and bones. His blue eyes were dull and exhausted, and his boney shoulders were slumped. Add in his shaved head, it was very obvious the older man was dying.

Dudley looked at him nervously. "Is this about her magic?"

Heroides blinked, "I didn't realize she had magic." He muttered, kicking himself for not picking up on the magic he could now sense running through her blood. It was obvious, how had he missed it? The young god shook himself from his thoughts to find Dudley had placed a mug of tea in front of him. "No, it's not about her magic." He took a quick sip, savoring the taste of British tea. "It's about her mother."

Dudley paused, "What about her? We didn't really know each other, I slept with Nicole once while in America and then she left me with a baby."

Heroides sighed, and launched himself into an explanation of Greek gods, demigods, and Nike. How the gods will sometimes sleep with mortals and sire demogods, children who weren't completely human and who's blood attracted monsters. Heroides told him about how Colette was one of these children, how Heroides had been one himself before being given godhood for his heroics in the war against Riddle.

Dudley listened in silence, tea having gone cold.

"So you're telling me Nicole was a _goddess_."

"Yup."

"And she's been keeping an eye on me and our daughter."

"Yeah."

"And she left Colette with me because there's some law saying they can't raise their own children?"

"They can't raise their mortal children, yes."

"And she sent you here because she knew I'm dying."

Heroides nodded, "Didn't bother telling me that you were _you_."

"And you're a god now, too."

"Bona-fide god."

"That's a little hard to swallow, Harry." Dudley admitted, "But then again, if magic exists, why can't ancient deities."

Heroides snorted, reaching forward and reheating Dudley's tea with a single tap of his finger. "You're taking this better than I did." He mused, faintly amused. "But then again, I was dead, it was all pretty overwhelming."

Dudley coughed to hide his snort.

Heroides sobered quickly though, staring at his cousin; the good man who had once been the boy who followed his parents' examples and made his childhood miserable. "Dudley, I hate to tell you, but you have less than three months left to live."

Dudley cracked a bitter smile, "I know..." His sunken eyes trailed away from Harry and towards what must've been Colette's room. "Harry, when I die, I'm leaving everything I'm own to my daughter... and I want you to raise her, let her become a Potter instead of a Dursley. Give her a family that will love her despite her not being 'normal'." The dying man turned to meet Heroides' gaze, fire in his eyes. "I'm don't want her to go to my parents. I've seen how they treat people who are different. My daughter's first magical accident was went she was three, she summoned her sippycup to her hands. I'm assuming her ability to always predict the winning lottery numbers, or tell what sports team is going to win, is from her mother?"

Heroides nodded, "Nike is very competitive, and that transfers to her kids, and some do have the ability to predict victorious outcomes. Pair them with a child Tyche and they could probably take over the world all on their own." He joked, "Children of Nike may not be as powerful as others, but they do have their own set of skills"

Dudley chuckled taking a sip of his tea, then frowned. "When I told my mum and dad last year about how Cole was dyslexic and had ADHD, my mother looked at me and told me that was what happened to _bastard children_ , that they never turn out right. Then started talking about her neighbor's daughter who's my age, and how I should think about settling down, like she hadn't just insulted my daughter." The older man had to put down his shaking cup. "That's why, after I die, I don't want my Cole to be forced to carry the Dursley name. I don't want her to have that connection to my parents."

"Alright, Dud." Heroides sighed, "I'll take her in, I'll give her the Potter name."

Dudley's shoulders relaxed, "Thank you Harry. I'll update my will." He said. "I would have called to ask you before, I've really been thinking this through, but I didn't know how to contact you."

Heroides stifled a laugh, "Not many do." He conjured a slip of paper and a pen and quickly jotted down his number and address. "Here, it's charmed so you can't loose it."

Dudley smiled, "Thank you Harry."

Heroides dipped his head, then stood. "Call me whenever you want, _Big D_." The young god told his mortal cousin , shoving his hands in his pockets as wandered towards the door.

"You know, Colette Lily Dursley doesn't sound nearly as good as Colette Lily Potter."

The dark-haired son of Thanatos froze for a moment, hand on the doorknob, before smiling. "It's a good name."

_...Her middle name was Lily..._

 

(Three months later, he got the call; Dudley Dursley had died of pancreatic cancer, it had been slow and painful, but he had been happy in the end. He had left everything to his daughter, Colette Lily Dursley, and had named his cousin, Harry Potter, his daughter's guardian under the terms that he adopted her as and Potter and raised her ands his own. In the same will, Mr. Dursley had written that, under no circustance, was Colette to go to her grandparents, he declared them unfit to raise any child.

And thus Colette Lily Potter was welcomed into Harry's Home for Half-Bloods.)

((Evan was jokingly threatening to sue for the thievery of his copyright. Heroides knew he'd never go through with it.))


	6. Asterism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter of this installment; I'm not sure when the next will be out, because I want to get most of the chapters written before I post it, so sorry for the wait!

**Asterism**   
**(Any prominent star pattern that isn't a whole constellation, such as the Northern Cross or the Big Dipper)**

 

_June 15, 2007_

 

_**Harry,** _

_**It's Evan, sorry for not writing for the last few weeks it's been hectic. The pine tree on Half-Blood Hill was poisoned at the start of the month, and monsters have been breaking through the barriers ever since, and Chiron was fired for it (Jackson said it was because the gods wanted someone to blame), and was replaced by Tantalus, the guy who hacked up his son, then cooked and fed him to the Olympians. The guy's an ass, he's insistent that nothing is wrong, despite there being deaths.** _

_**(Thomas Harleys, son of Ares, 15. Blaise Tennyson, daughter of Hephestus, 13. Cypress Richards, son of Demeter, 16. They died when the first group of monsters burst through the barrier. Thomas wanted to be a soldier. Blaise wanted to be an accomplished inventor. Cypress was just happy growing strawberries.** _

_**Dawn Thomas, daughter of Apollo, 10. Pip Wilson, child of Aphrodite, 11. Jason Cross, son of Hermes, 14. Harrison Cross, son of Hermes, 14. They were killed when giant killer birds attacked during chariot races. Pip wasn't a girl or a boy, they were a they, and they wanted to be a model. Jason and Harrison were twins, they liked pranks, and they died protecting their younger siblings. And Dawn wanted to be a music teacher.** _

_**George Spencer, son of Athena, 13. Killed on patrol. He was ripped apart by a hellhound.** _

_**Flamel Nichols, a son of Hecate, died of his injuries yesterday. He was 9 and I couldn't save him.** _

_**I couldn't save any of them, Harry.)** _

_**Everyone hates Tantalus, even Mr.D. Clarisse Le Rue (remember her? The girl from the Ares cabin who shoved my head down the toilet the day I arrived?) had been organizing patrols behind his back, but she was recently sent away on a quest to the Sea of Monsters to try and get the Golden Fleece, so everyone's been working together to keep them going. Jackson and Annabeth Chase (an Athena kid) disappeared that night as well.** _

_**On a bit of a happier note, I kissed Malcolm Pace before all that shit happened, he's a son of Athena, and he's kind of nerdy, but he doesn't look like it, he's pretty muscled, in the endurance runner kind of way, and he's a science wiz (that's how we met, actually. He helped me out with my homework). He was a year-rounder, but he made up with his dad over Christmas, and he's going to try spending the school year with his dad and stepmom. Turns out he lives in New York too, and we were hoping to go on a few dates in the future if it works out.** _

_**Missing you,** _

_**Evan** _

_**PS, tell the ducklings I said hi** _

_**PPS, can't wait to meet Colette. Did she really beat Lorcan and Lysander in a prank war? That's awesome!** _

 

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_June 20, 2007_

 

_**Harry,** _

_**Jackson, Chase, and La Rue are back. They got the Fleece, thank the gods, and Chiron came back with them. Tantalus is finally gone, I hope he enjoys the Fields of Punishment, the bastard.** _

_**There were a few more attacks since the last letter I wrote you, and nobody died until the fucking drakon swooped in. Three campers were killed. Heather Greene, 17, a daughter of Demeter, and the counselor. (Katie Gardner is the new Demeter couciler). Natalia Maximoff, 13, Undetermined. (She was new and really shy). And Ross Deans, 15, son of Ares. (He was an asshole, but I didn't want him dead). Malcolm was one of the ones injured in the attack, but he's going to make a full recovery, but his arm has a pretty cool scar on it now.** _

_**Anyways, as I'm writing this the chariot race is just finishing up. Jackson and his cyclops brother, Tyson, won. Good for them, but I'm kind of bummed the Apollo chariot got knocked out so quickly.** _

_**See you at the end of August!** _

_**Evan** _

_**PS, Hi ducklings!** _

 

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_June 21, 2007_

 

**_Harry_ **

**_Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, is alive. She's supposed to have died years ago, but she came out of the tree last night._ **

**_Something big is coming._ **

**_Look after the ducklings,_ **

**_Evan_ **

 

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_June 25, 2007_

 

**_Harry,_ **

**_Gods, Malcolm kissed me today behind the strawberry fields._ **

**_He's really attractive, Harry. His hair is ash blonde and curly, it's kind of adorable how his hair sticks up when he's thinking over some strategy or master plan, and his eyes are really gray but if you look closely there's a ring of silver around his pupils. He's shorter than me, but he's definitely the one in charge in our relationship, and he's got these super cute freckles on the bridge of his nose. He's not the strongest fighter, but his mind moves fast enough to compensate, it's actually kind of hot to watch him._ **

**_The dork likes electro swing music, Harry, it's adorable._ **

**_Shoot, sorry Harry, didn't mean to ramble. It's just, you're the person I trust most, and I know you won't gossip (everyone in Camp gossips, it's a pain)._ **

**_I'm really looking forward to the end of August, are you bringing any of the ducklings with you when you come to pick me up? I kind of want to introduce Sappho to the Athena campers._ **

**_Evan_ **

 

(Included is a well-made and realistic pencil sketch of a teenaged boy leaning over a book, rectangular glasses perched on his nose and curly hair falling in his eyes. It's labeled 'Beautiful and Relaxed' in Evan's messy handwriting.)

(It must be Malcolm)

 

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_July 1, 2007_

 

Heroides hadn't seen it coming.

He had been browsing through the grocery store, pushing Sappho's stroller with Colette following behind him with her miniature cart. Lorcan and Lysander weren't there, instead they were visiting Luna for the week, going creature hunting in Maine, something they had been looking forward to all summer. Luna had said something about Heliopaths and Gorns, and pretty much all of it had gone over the god's head, but he had given all three emergency portkeys that would take them back to his flat if there was any trouble.

"Finding everything today, hot stuff?"

Heroides turned to find a college aged employee standing behind him, her bleached blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and brown eyes surrounded by makeup. He was so startled by the sudden flirting that he couldn't answer.

Someone else did for him.

"We're good, thanks."

Apollo was there, looping his arm around Heroides' waist and pulling the shorter god against his side.

The young woman, who's name badge introduced her as Wendi, looked between them, amusement lighting up her dark eyes. "Damn. All the pretty ones are either taken or gay." She laughed lightly, "Or in your case, both."

Heroides shrugged apologetically. "Better luck next time?"

She grinned, "You never know. Anyways, if you do need any help, don't hesitate to ask, that's what I'm here for." Then she wandered off, ponytail bouncing behind her.

Heroides glanced up at Apollo and raised an eyebrow, and the blonde god rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uncle Harry? Who's he?" Colette asked suddenly, shoving her way between the two to latch onto the dark-haired god's leg possessively, shooting a glare towards the tall man she didn't know.

"Cole, this is my... friend, Apollo." Heroides introduced, "Apollo, this is my cousin, Colette."

Colette continued to glare suspiciously up at Apollo. "If you hurt him, we'll hurt you." The seven year old threatend.

Apollo crouched down so he was eye level with the tiny demigoddess, his face grave. "I have no intention of hurting your Uncle Harry."

Heroides blushed lightly when Apollo's eyes met his.

Colette was silent for a few moments, before she let go of Heroides' pants to stick her hand out for Apollo to shake, which he did. And then she nodded, "Just one more thing before I make up my mind. Sappho, what do you think."

Scarily intelligent gray eyes peered out from the stroller to study the sun god, before Sappho made her decision. "Okay."

Colette nodded in satisfaction, "You passed Saf's test, hers is always the most important."

Apollo was straight-faced, and he agreed seriously. "I bet."

 

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_July 4, 2007_

 

_**Unkle Harry,** _

_**Were still loking for halopaths and goorns. It's relly fun, and Lore fell in the river, I laghted a lot so Lore pulled me in to. Mama laghted at use.** _

_**No halopaths or goorns yet, butt we foond some cool frogs.** _

_**Love, Lysander** _

_**PS I drawed the frogs for you!** _

 

(There was a crudely drawn blob on the bottom of the page, and only the written title of 'Frog' gave any hint of what it was supposed to be.)

 

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_July 7, 2007_

 

**_Uncle Harry_ **

**_We're comeing home tommorrow._ **

**_Mama found a Heliopath, it was vary cool._ **

**_Love, Lorcan_ **

 

(Scribbled on the bottom of the corner was what looked like some sort of flaming unicorn with stick legs.)

 

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_July 10, 2007_

 

**_Harry,_ **

**_I think I'm going to die of embarrassment._ **

**_So Malcolm pulled me behind the Athena cabin for a kiss, because we thought everyone was at the camp fire, but it turns out not everyone was there. Annabeth Chase walked in on us and for a moment I thought she was going to gut me or something._ **

**_She didn't, thank gods, but I'm watching my back in case she's biding her time._ **

**_But, no time like the present, yeah?_ **

**_Evan_ **

**_PS, if I vanish and my body's never found, tell the ducklings that I love them._ **

 

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_August 1, 2007_

 

"Hey, Apollo?"

Heroides was curled into Apollo's side as the two gods sat on his couch, watching the closing credits of A New Hope scroll across the screen. The children were all asleep, leaving the two men to themselves.

"Yeah?"

The dark-haired god bit his lip nervously, "What am I to you?"

Apollo paused, blue eyes flicking down to watch the top of Heroides' head. "What d'you mean, Hero?"

Heroides fiddled with his sleeves, unwilling to meet his partner's gaze. "You're thousands of years old, and I'm just _me_... I'm just a person who managed to be given godhood. You have hundreds of beings willing to fall over themselves to be with you, but you're _here_ instead.." He knew he was rambling nervously, he couldn't really help it.

Apollo cut him off by sliding off the couch to crouch in front of him, taking his face between his hands. "I do love you, Hero. More than I've loved anyone else in thousands of years." He met Heroides' green eyes, "I love your green eyes and the way they have flecks of gold. I love your hair and your wings and every single faded freckle on your nose. I love your laugh and your smile takes my breath away." The sun god took a deep breath, and for a moment, blue eyes looked haunted "I can't promise you forever because we're gods, and shit happens."

Heroides' eyes were wide, his face flushed, and he was smiling shyly. "I love you too, Apollo... And I don't need forever," He murmured, "As long as you let me have now. I won't care if you wander while we're together, like you said, we're gods and a lot can happen in hundreds or thousands of years. As long as you come back."

Apollo swooped in and kissed him deeply.

 

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_August 2, 2007_

 

Apollo woke with the sun (he was glad that his chariot had autopilot) the next morning in a bed not his own, naked and with a warm body pressed against his side. He turned his head slightly and smiled at Heroides' sleeping face, watching the way the sunlight hit the contours of his delicate bone structure, and had the sudden urge to draw him and capture the moment. But that would require getting up, and Apollo didn't really want to do that, instead his shifted onto his side and wrapped an arm around his lover's bare waist.

Heroides sighed in his sleep, nose twitching, and Apollo's smile widened when the younger god curled closer to him with a sleepy, "Go back'ta sleep, 'Pol."

Apollo loved this man, he hadn't been lying the night before, he loved everything about him. He buried his face in Heroides' soft hair, and contented himself with holding him in his arms while the smaller god slept.

 

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_August 11, 2007_

 

_**Happy birthday, Lorcan and Lysander! I'll get you your presents when I'm back in New York, don't worry.** _

_**Enjoy your cake!** _

_**Evan** _


End file.
